National Bakery School drops younger training

29 June, 2012

Page 6

The National Bakery School has stopped its training provision for 16- to 18-year-old students.

The school, which is part of the Faculty of Business at London South Bank University (LSBU), said the decision had been made because of a decrease in funding for further education, a lack of awarding bodies and a decrease in students of that age. It also said it wanted to concentrate on its provision of higher education which has seen an increase in numbers of late and, as a result, will offer no further education courses from this September.

However, the decision to step out of the 16- to 18-year-old arena and not provide Level Two and Three NVQs has been criticised by one London baker. Michael Raab of Raab's The Bakers in Islington had hoped to send his grandson on one of the school's courses. Callum Raab had an interview for the institution and had been accepted, but was then told by letter the course would no longer be running this September.

Raab said: "It's a serious situation if the National Bakery School cannot run this type of course."

Jane Houzer, executive dean of the Faculty of Business at LSBU, said the university was proud to be the home of the National Bakery School, but said that funding bodies were "no longer keen on providing further education funding at higher education institutions".

She added: "It has become uneconomic for an institution of our stature to go down the further education route."

However the National Bakery School has been inundated with requests for training from this September at the higher education level. These include the school's Foundation Degree in Baking Technology Management, BSc (Hons) in Baking Technology Management, and its Food and Drink Qualifications (FDQ) Diploma in Craft Studies.